Waiver of CPD Requirements
If you fail to meet the CPD requirements applicable to you, and you are unable to avail yourself of any of the Deemed Waivers, you will need to apply to the Institute’s CPD Compliance Committee for a waiver of the requirements. If any Extension Waiver option is available for a given CPD Year, then we recommend that you rely on it before seeking to apply to the Institute’s CPD Compliance Committee for a waiver.
If you have any queries on applications for waivers, please contact us using the contact form here. Please identify yourself by giving us your full name, AAS number and date of admission to the Singapore Bar, or your SILE-assigned s36B FL number if you are a s36B Foreign Lawyer.
About Deemed Waivers
Full details about the three deemed waiver categories implemented by the SILE can be found in SILE Advisory CPD-2012-1.
Essentially, the three deemed waiver categories are:
- Statutorily-prescribed maternity leave;
- Certified long-term medical leave; and
- Overseas secondment.
Lawyers may self-assess whether they fall into any of the deemed waiver categories that have been implemented by the SILE, and then fulfil their CPD points requirements for a CPD Year accordingly. All other CPD requirements for a given CPD Year under the applicable rules and guidelines (i.e. the obligation to keep records, submit to audit etc.) must be fulfilled in the usual fashion.
About Extension Waiver
The SILE may implement an Extension Waiver for a given CPD Year which is, essentially, an extended deadline for compliance with CPD points requirements. In the event that you are unable to fulfil you CPD points requirements for a given CPD Year by 31 December of that year, and if an Extension Waiver is available for that CPD Year, then we recommend that you rely on it to make up any shortfall in CPD points by the extended deadline specified.
CPD points obtained from undertaking a given CPD activity during the Extension Waiver period cannot be split up and applied towards fulfilling CPD points Requirements for more than one CPD Year (i.e. no splitting-up of points from a single CPD Activity is permitted). Also, the same CPD points cannot be used to satisfy requirements for more than one CPD Year (i.e. no double-counting of CPD points is permitted).
If an Extension Waiver is available for a given CPD Year, an advisory to this effect is likely to be issued by the SILE within the final quarter of that CPD Year. We recommend that you check the Advisories section from time to time for the latest advisories to be issued by the SILE.
About Waiver applications for a CPD Year
Applications to the SILE’s CPD Compliance Committee for waiver of CPD requirements is meant to address failures to fulfil CPD requirements for a CPD Year which cannot be addressed by relying on any existing Deemed Waiver and/or utilising the Extension Waiver (if available).
The waiver application process for each CPD Year usually opens in the first quarter of the immediately following CPD Year. Information will be made available on the SILE CPD Centre towards the commencement of each waiver application period. There is no avenue for prospective waiver of CPD requirements.
Waiver applications are generally processed in monthly batches and applicants are expected to plan ahead for their needs on this basis.
For a summary of the waiver application process generally, please click here.